Chapter 1
Ellie's POV
I woke up to the sound of my phone vibrating aggressively against my nightstand.
Groaning, I fumbled to check the caller ID-Dad.
Not a good sign.
I ignored the call and pulled the blanket over my head, but seconds later, a loud knock followed.
Then another.
"Ellie, wake up!
Dad wants to see you now," my sister Sabrina called from outside.
"I'm sleeping.
Tell him I moved to another country," I mumbled.
"Ellie!"
"Ugh, fine!" I threw off the blanket and stomped to the door.
As soon as I swung it open, Sabrina rolled her eyes.
"You look like a mess."
"Good.
Maybe Dad will take one look at me and rethink whatever disaster he's planning."
She scoffed.
"Doubt it.
Breakfast is ready, and he's waiting.
Don't take forever."
I dragged myself to the bathroom, washed up, and threw on the first oversized hoodie I could find.
When I finally entered the dining room, my entire family was seated, as if they had been waiting for me.
"Morning," I greeted, kissing Mom's cheek before taking a seat.
"Eat first," Dad said in a firm tone.
I hesitated.
Dad wasn't one for small talk, and if he was letting me finish a meal before dropping whatever bombshell he had in store, it had to be bad.
Once breakfast was over, he leaned back in his chair.
"Ellie, come to my office."
Yup.
Bad news.
I followed him down the hall, my heart pounding slightly.
When he sat behind his massive desk, I took the chair opposite, crossing my arms.
"Alright, let's get this over with."
He didn't even flinch at my attitude.
Instead, he slid a file across the desk.
"Read that."
I picked it up and scanned the contents.
At first, it was a bunch of legal jargon, but then my eyes landed on"Marriage Agreement"and one particular name-Kaia Todd.
I choked on my own breath.
"WHAT?
!"
Dad clasped his hands together.
"You'll be marrying Kaia in two months."
I gawked at him.
"Are you-Dad, I-WHAT?"
His face remained unreadable.
"It's been arranged.
You don't have a choice."
My brain scrambled for logic.
Kaia.
My childhood best friend.
My first love.
The girl I spent years getting over because she had no idea how I felt.
The same Kaia who was now datingJay, the guy I despised.
"Dad, you can't just decide my entire life for me!" I shot up from my seat.
"I can and I have," he said coolly.
"Kaia's father and I agreed on this years ago."
"You do realize she has aboyfriend?"
"I do," he said, unfazed.
"That's why you have two months to make sure she breaks up with him."
I stared at him, completely speechless.
This was ridiculous.
Unbelievable.
Insane.
"You love her, don't you?" he added.
I clenched my jaw.
"That's not the point."
Dad sighed.
"You don't have a choice.
That's final."
My fists tightened at my sides.
"So what?
I'm supposed to just waltz into her life and say, 'Hey, surprise!
You're marrying me now'?"
Dad smirked.
"That's exactly what you're going to do."
I groaned, running a hand through my hair.
This was a nightmare.
Two months.
Two months to convince Kaia Todd to break up with Jay.
Two months to prepare for a marriage neither of us agreed to.
Two months to fix my entiremessed-uplife.
Great.
Just great.
I had two months to ruin Kaia's relationship.
Two months to turn her world upside down.
No big deal, right?
Wrong.
I spent the entire morning lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling like a dramatic lead in a soap opera.
Sabrina had already stormed in twice, yelling at me to stop being pathetic.
But what was I supposed to do?
March up to Kaia and say,Hey, your boyfriend sucks, let's get married?
Absolutely not.
Instead, I dragged myself to the café near Kaia's workplace.
If I was going to do this, I needed a strategy.
And if there was one person who loved meddling in other people's love lives more than anything, it was my best friend, Melanie.
She arrived ten minutes late, looking as effortlessly stunning as always.
"Alright, spill," she said, plopping into the seat across from me.
"Why did you drag me here at 10 AM?
This better not be another one of yourbad life choicestalks."
"It's worse," I groaned, sliding the contract across the table.
Melanie skimmed it, her eyes growing wider with every line.
"Oh.
My.
God."
"Yeah."
"You're marrying Kaia?"
"Yeah."
"In two months?"
"Yeah."
Melanie slapped the contract onto the table.
"Ellie, do you realize how insane this is?
Doyourealize how much you still love her?"
I winced.
"It's not about that."
"Right, because arranged marriages are totally normal in 2025," she deadpanned.
"What's your plan?"
I sighed.
"I have to make sure she and Jay break up."
Melanie leaned back, crossing her arms.
"You're seriously going to homewreck?"
"I don't have a choice!" I threw my hands up.
"My dad is dead serious about this, and so is hers.
If I don't do something, I'll be stuck in a marriage with a woman who hates me."
Melanie studied me for a moment, then smirked.
"So youdowant her to love you?"
I groaned.
"That is not the point, Melanie."
She twirled her straw in her iced coffee.
"Fine.
If you really want to go through with this, you need intel.
How serious are Kaia and Jay?"
I thought about it.
Kaia had been dating Jay for about a year.
He was the kind of guy everyone's parents loved—successful, charming, the exact opposite of me.
"They're... stable," I admitted.
"Stable is boring," Melanie said.
"We can work with that."
I squinted at her.
"Why do you sound like you have experience with this?"
"Please, I've watched enough dramas to know how this goes." She took out her phone.
"Alright, first step.
We need to figure out what Jay sucks at."
I raised an eyebrow.
"How is that helpful?"
"Simple.
If we can highlight his flaws, Kaia will start noticing them more.
It's basic psychology."
I exhaled.
This was either going to be the best or worst decision of my life.
Melanie grinned.
"Buckle up, Ellie.
OperationSteal Kaia's Heartstarts now."
Kaia's POV
I had a terrible feeling.
Not theI-forgot-my-phone-at-homekind of terrible.
Thesomeone-is-plotting-against-mekind.
And that someone was sitting across from me in our favorite sushi restaurant.
Ellie Waters.
She was smiling at me like she hadn't just disappeared from my life for the past two years.
"So, how's life?" she asked, casually picking up a piece of sushi.
I crossed my arms.
"Cut to the chase, Ellie."
Her grin didn't waver.
"I just missed my best friend.
Can't I take you out for lunch without an ulterior motive?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"No."
Ellie chuckled, leaning forward.
"Alright, you got me.
I actually wanted to talk to you about something important."
I sighed.
"Is this about my dad?"
She blinked.
"Wait, youknow?"
"Of course I know.
He's been dropping hints for months," I said, stabbing my sushi roll with my fork.
"But he can't force me to marry you, Ellie."
Her expression faltered for a second, but she quickly covered it up.
"I know.
That's why I wanted to talk—to figure out how we're going to handle this."
I exhaled.
"Look, my dad can be stubborn, but he won't go through with it if I refuse."
Ellie hesitated.
"What if... we let it happen?"
I choked on my drink.
"What?"
"Just hear me out!" she said quickly.
"If we go along with it, we can figure out a way to get out of it later.
Or...
I don't know, maybe it wouldn't bethatbad?"
I stared at her.
"You've officially lost your mind."
She winced.
"Okay, yeah, maybe.
But just think about it."
I shook my head.
"Ellie, I'm with Jay.
I love him."
Something flashed in her eyes.
"Right."
Silence stretched between us.
I didn't know what I expected from this conversation, but one thing was clear—Ellie was up to something.
And I wasn't sure I was ready for whatever it was.